Mapping Migrations in World History

Conference venue: Metropolitan State University (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
Period: 23-24th September 2016
Deadline for submitting abstracts: 15 April 2016

The Midwest World History Association is happy to announce a call for paper, poster, panel, roundtable, and workshop proposals for its annual conference to be held at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on September 23th and 24th, 2016. The conference theme is “Mapping Migrations in World History.” Proposals that focus on any period of world history are welcome, particularly those that explore such themes as the migration of peoples globally, the impact of such migrations, and the ways in which humans have mentally and physically mapped who they are (or who they think themselves to be). We hope that such mapping allows us to consider how migration has helped to form or even to dismantle cultural identity, trade, political authority, social groupings, or other aspects of human interaction. Papers and panels on any theme in world history are also encouraged. The organizers encourage proposals from K-12 teachers, college faculty, students, and public historians, as well as scholars working in allied fields such as Anthropology or Geography.
The conference will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Erika Lee, Rudolf J. Vecoli Chair in Immigration History and Director of the Immigration History Research Center and Archive of the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lee’s most recent book, The Making of Asian America: A History was published by Simon & Schuster in 2015 to wide acclaim and was reviewed in The New York Times, the New Yorker, and the LA Times, among other places. Additionally, the conference will also feature an Archival and Cartographic Seminar at the University of Minnesota for a limited number of attendees. The Borchert Map Library and the Immigration History Research Center and Archives will lead tours and discussions of their extensive collections based on the interests of the attendees who sign up for this three-hour seminar.

Please submit a 250-word abstract and a short curriculum vitae to the Program Committee Chair, Dr. Louisa Rice, at chair@mwwha.org no later than April 15, 2016. Questions about the conference can also be directed to this address. Where a complete panel is proposed, the convener should also include a 250-word abstract of the panel theme. Each panelist should plan to spend no more than 20 minutes presenting her or his paper.
Presenters must register for the conference by August 15, 2016 to be included in the program.

The MWWHA will offer up to three competitive Graduate Student Awards to offset part of the conference costs. Graduate students interested in applying should include a letter with their conference proposal explaining how the conference helps them with their studies, teaching, and and/or future career plans as well as how their paper fits with the conference theme and the mission of the MWWHA.

We also invite accepted papers to be submitted to our journal, The Middle Ground, for potential publication.
Further information about the MWWHA, including membership and conference registration (when it becomes available) can be found on our website.

Chair of the Conference Committee
Louisa Rice, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Email: chair@mwwha.org

President of MWWHA
Jeanne Grant, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Metropolitan State University
Email: chair@mwwha.org